The Moon's Secret
by MyNameIsCrazy
Summary: After the moon pearls, Maria and her family thought they had finished with their ordeal of the curse. But lo and behold, there was another part, that even their ancestors didn't know about. The tiara of moon pearls. Long hidden by the moon itself. What will happen when the Merryweathers discover a strange girl, left by the sea? And why is Robin frequently visiting? R&R!


Maria was sitting on the same cliff, overlooking the sea, remembering everything that had happened a week ago. The moon wasn't full, but for some reason it was glowing brighter than the full moon. The ocean started roiling and the wavers were crashing further and further up on the beach. Maria stood out of surprise and as she did, she heard footsteps behind her.

She turned to see Loveday and Benjamin behind her. "I saw the sea crashing in my sea-glass," Loveday said. She had a sea-glass in her room, sort of like a looking glass, but it was how she kept an eye on the sea.

"What's going on?" Benjamin asked. He walked to the edge of the cliff and looked over as well.

Maria looked over and gasped. On the shore there was a girl, standing there. She had radiant opalescent skin and silver-blond hair. She wore a dress of pale pink that shimmered in the moon light that was slowly fading away.

Maria, Loveday and Benjamin watched as she walked up the beach to the rock stairs that led up to the amphitheater where they were standing. They turned to face her as she emerged from the chasm in the rock face behind them.

"Hello," she said gently. Her voice echoed with the night sky and her eyes twinkled like the stars. "Would one of you care to tell me where I am exactly?"

Benjamin, Loveday and Maria looked at the girl in surprise and shock, and all the girl did was just smile sweetly .

"My name is Luna," she continued. "I came here from the sea."

"We know," Loveday replied. "We watched you."

Luna smiled sweetly again and blinked her starlight eyes. "Would you mind telling me where I am?" she repeated, though no tone of anger was in her soft voice.

Maria walked up to the girl and smiled, taking her hands. "You're in Moonacre Valley," she said to Luna. She smiled.

She turned to Loveday and Benjamin, still with the same smile. "Do you know of a place where I can stay? I'm very tired and in need of rest," she asked. Loveday smiled and nodded.

* * *

Back at Moonacre, Maria was showing Luna around to all of the rooms in the house, and finally, taking her up to the room where she would be staying. It was a large, ornate room with full length stained glass windows and hand carved mahogany finial bedposts. Luna smiled and thanked Maria.

"This is wonderful!" she said, as she twirled around. Maria smiled and excused herself to bed. Luna, Maria decided, was an oddity, but what kind of oddity she was, Maria didn't know. Luna had a strange glow about her when she moved, and when she walked, her feet barely touched the ground.

Luna walked to the balcony in her room and threw open the doors, the brilliancy of the moonlight pouring in. This bewildered Maria, who was standing at the door, peering around the door frame. The light of the moon was just as bright as when it had been when Luna appeared on the beach. The moon, though, was only half full, and incapable of producing such brilliant light as it did then and before. But what came next, befuddled Maria even more.

Luna stood at her balcony, staring up to the skies, and sighed. "Yes father," she said. "I know my destiny. Find the moon pearl tiara. Father, I know." Luna sighed and walked over to her bed and collapsed, completely asleep.

* * *

The next morning, as Maria passed by Luna's door, she heard her singing. Maria walked to the door and pressed her ear to the door, straining to hear better. Luna's voice was sweeter than anything she had ever heard and, her suspicions confirmed, rushed to the dining room to voice her conclusions.

"Luna is an ethereal being," she announced breathlessly to the breakfast congregation. Benjamin, Loveday, and Ms. Heliotrope looked up at her with bewilderment on their faces.

"Maria, whatever could you mean by that?" Loveday asked, standing and walking to her took a deep breath and started to relate her story to the others.

They listened intently and, just as Maria came to the end of her theory, Luna walked into the room. Maria stopped talking and turned her attention to the girl who's gown was now a shimmering, glowing pale blue.

"Good morning," she said sweetly. She had braided her hair over her shoulder in a sweet way, and she looked like a princess in her dress.

"Good morning, my dear," Loveday replied kindly and turned to Benjamin and Maria. "My father and Robin are coming to dinner tonight."

"Lovely," Benjamin said, smiling. Ever since the curse had lifted, Sir Benjamin Merryweather and Coeur De Noir had been very good friends. Luna smiled naively and took a seat at the breakfast table. Maria sat down across from her and couldn't help but stare at her, scrutinizing every move she made.

* * *

That night at dinner, Luna was in her room when Robin and Coeur De Noir arrived, and Maria was sent to fetch her.

"Luna," she called, knocking on the girl's door. The door opened and Luna stood there in a dress that Loveday had lent her. Pale pink with lilies.

"How do I look?" she asked, smiling. She seemed to smile a lot, Maria noticed. Maria looked down at Luna's feet which she noticed, were bare.

"Do you want shoes?" Maria offered. Luna smiled and shook her head.

"No thank you," she replied. Maria shrugged and said that it was time they headed down stairs to the waiting party. Luna agreed and followed Maria down to the dining room. Though the hall was dim, Maria made note that it was slightly brighter. That it was brighter though, was due to Luna's radiating light.

* * *

In the dining hall, the adults were conversing and Robin was sitting alone in a corner. The doors opened and in stepped Maria and the most beautiful girl Robin had ever seen in his entire life. She was pale as moonlight and her hair was as bright as the stars. Her bright eyes were crystal blue and her smile was delicate and angelic.

"Robin, this is Luna," Maria said, introducing the girl. Robin bowed and Luna curtsied and blushed. Maria noticed the immediate attraction between the two and excused herself to attend to Ms. Heliotrope.

"I've never seen you before at Moonacre. Where are you from?" Robin asked, taking her hand and sitting her down next to him on the chaise.

"I'm from where the sky meets the sea," Luna replied. Robin's heart leapt into his throat. Even her _voice _was perfect. He smiled.

"And where is that?" he asked. He expected that she was just being coy and aloof and tried to pry other answers out of her.

"Exactly where I said. Where the sky meets the sea. But my home is the sea, more or less," Luna answered. Robin's face fell. She was being serious. She was really from the sea.

"Do you mean you sail a lot?" She shook her head.

"Can we change the subject? Do you ride at all?" Luna said, shifting uncomfortably. She was still smiling but she seemed uncomfortable.

"No, not really. Do you want to take a walk with me? The gardens by moonlight are beautiful," Robin suggested. Luna beamed.

"I would love to," she replied. He stood and offered her his hand and she took it, smiling angelically, and, to his surprise, laced her fingers with his.


End file.
